Upgrading from a Clarke CL300M, where to go?

I have a Colchester bantam which is night and day to the myford 7 I had before. Apart from the power feeds, parting off is almost a joy. And it was 50% cheaper than what I sold the myford for.

That AMABL210D is only 65KG but has a 38mm spindle bore, 40cm between centres

Looks pretty ideal for someone with limited space

Now that is a very good point and one that annoys me no end.

Well lots of useful suggestions already, with lots of choice from either a new imported machine or an older used machine.

The Sieg C4 has already been mentioned, and I still think it might be one of the lathes worth considering.

Although you are upsizing, I am having to start downsizing, and have spent at least the last 15 years considering what machines to buy as the time approaches, and the Siege SC3 together with a Siege SC4 were the two lathes I have settled on.

I recently visited Arceurotrade to view and buy the SC3 and SC4. I had not previously managed to have a proper look at an SC4 lathe in the flesh. Well the Siege SC4 was certainly an impressive machine, I felt like my eyes were popping out of my head like a kid in a sweet shop. A very well made, solid and substantial lathe which looked a worthwhile step up from a mini lathe. Apart from the smaller spindle bore it has a comparable capacity with a similar swing but longer between centres to the AMA210 that you were considering. The SC4 also has the benefit of power feeds built into the apron giving power cross feed and longitudinal power feed, plus lots of Tee slots.

The helpful staff at Arc are straight talking with no nonsense, so would give good advice either way if you had any doubts.

I intended to run the new SC3 lathe in the living room on tiny parts, just to keep me mechanically occupied when I couldn't leave the house, and then buy an SC4 for the workshop, to replace my bigger Warco lathe, for use on the now rare occasions I can sneak into the workshop for the odd hour or two.

Things didn't go to plan unfortunately for me, and I don't think i will be able to buy the machines I want from Arc, but I still think there is enough of a step up from a C3 to the impressive SC4 to make it a worthwhile upgrade.

In fact I am sure someone on this forum has moved up from a Clarke C3 lathe and bought a C4 lathe, and is more than happy with no regrets, I think it may have been Niel Wyatt, not absolutely sure.

To show how much of the advice given, while clearly based on experience and perfectly accurate is not the only option can I suggest the following:

I have never needed to put 38mm stock through the mandrel - even the longest and largest material has been turned using the chuck and a steady

If you accept a chuck that is not screwed on then inverting the parting tool in the front toolpost and running in reverse also works

I would personally rather NOT have a self extracting tailstock if I could because there seems to be no standardisation in taper lengths today and sometimes a tool will extract when you don't expect it to and sometimes you fit a new tool into the taper and it is too short to extract and also a spanner left permanently on the lathe tray is scarcely less convenient than a lever and can be more secure.

So I suggest you accept all the advice you can and see which applies in your particular case - while you clearly wish to upscale some of the suggestions given may be beyond what you personally need and as we are not working but hobbyists a few extra moments setting up is rarely important.

Hi Everyone,

First of all I would just like to say many thanks for all your comments and the time and thought you have put into them.

It’s great having a forum like this as you guys raised points I hadn’t even considered!

What I think I can take away from your advice is the following;

1. Try and get the largest / sturdiest machine possible within the space available.

2. New over second hand will always be a BIG dilema. I have bought both (different machines) and I think at the end of the day it really comes down to research, testing and how good the deal really is.

3. While certain specifications can seem great is there actually an advantage i.e. a 38mm spindle connecting to a 125mm chuck..?

4. Geared over variable speed? I like to multi use my lathe from time to time and having variable speed makes that easy (even if there is a chance of electronic failure in the future).

I’ll take all this information away and have a good think before opening my wallet!

Many thanks, Chris.

I've got an AMABL210D with 38mm spindle bore and DRO.

I was aiming for a bigger lathe but don't currently have the time or space to accommodate it.

I'm pleased with its performance so far, though I've had little chance to test it thoroughly.

It has surprisingly good low speed torque, what appears to be a genuinely hardened bed, and a decent 125mm scroll chuck. It also comes with travelling and fixed steadies, MT5 adaptor, MT3 and MT2 dead centres et al. - things not mentioned in the lathe's sales blurb.

The 38mm spindle bore has already been useful.

It was well packaged and presented on arrival: no rust, no transit damage. Most things were already well adjusted too. Only issue so far was tailstock T nut, which was functional but somewhat crudely made. I made a new one.

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the review, it really does help to an honest appraisal of the machine!

It's definitely not out of the picture for me and knowing that it is accurate to it's description is good to know.

They really should list all the extras, it would make this process a whole lot easier!

Cheers, Chris.

I started off with a CL300M some 10years ago now, and I found it very useful but too limiting, so I upgraded to a Chester 9x20. Now I know its not the best piece of kit out there, and to get them working well they require some minor modifications, but once these are done they're actually very versatile pieces of kit at a very low price.

If you spot one for sale on the 2nd hand market, its worth considering.